Of the laptop computers, 135 were deployed to caseworkers and supervisors from two ACS field offices: Manhattan (70) and Staten Island (65).¹ Of these 135 participants, 95 replied to both, the base and post pilot survey, creating a total population of 42 caseworkers and four supervisors for Manhattan and 46 caseworkers and three supervisors for Staten Island. Overall, the participant populations in both field offices exhibited a lot of similarities in terms of their CPS experience and general computer skills, while displaying noteworthy differences in the length of time spent working overtime and waiting in court. Also, as expected, the two field offices reported significantly different patterns of transportation use.

The pilot test group had a generally low level of CPS experience, averaging just under 4 years, with 57% of all caseworkers reporting CPS experience of two years or less. The participants also rated themselves relatively high on technology skills; the majority rated their skills as intermediate or higher in all surveyed categories ranging from general computer use to the use of CONNECTIONS. Most respondents did not report a need for future training, with the exception of about 39% needing training in CONNECTIONS.

Graph 1 - Level of Skills Within Assessment Population

Two noteworthy areas where Staten Island and Manhattan reported significant differences were in (1) the average length of weekly overtime and (2) the average length of court wait time. In both, the pre-pilot and pilot periods, Manhattan caseworkers reported using nine hours of overtime a week or less (average of 5.32 hours). At the same time, the majority of Staten Island caseworkers in both time periods reported the average length of overtime to be ten hours and more (average of 9.37 hours). Interestingly, the amount of reported overtime use decreased for both boroughs during the pilot period, which is consistent with caseworkers’ testimony during our workshops in which they indicated that the timing of the pilot coincided with a seasonal slow-down in incoming cases.

Graph 2 - Overtime Averages for Manhattan and Staten Island Field Offices

The average court waiting time reported and the number of court appearances showed a similar pattern: Staten Island had significantly more wait time in court compared to Manhattan and slightly more frequent appearances. Almost 70% of Manhattan caseworkers reported waiting in court five hours or less per typical court appearance, compared to 60% in Staten Island, who reported waiting five hours or more per typical court appearance.